The Magic of Imagination
by MWolfe13
Summary: She was only curious.


**This was written for MMF's Enchanted Wonders 2019 Collection. Enjoy! Let me know what you think in the reviews!**

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**Pairing: Thor x Hermione**  
**Item/Spell: Loki's Scepter**  
**Word Prompt: Flurries**

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Hermione crept through the halls of the palace, stealthily evading the guards that patrolled the area. Of course, no one would question her presence, but she didn't want anyone to know her destination. Somehow, someway, word would reach her father-in-law, and he would lecture her until Thor came to steal her away.

Honestly, she was only curious.

They'd confiscated Loki's scepter once he'd been captured on Earth, but Odin had taken one look at it and thrown it into the vault. Hermione had wanted to study it, possibly merge her magic with it and see what the outcome was. Did it have powers of its own? Did the crystal in the center serve only to augment Loki's magic? She'd tried to leave it alone, but the curiosity was too great. No one had expressly _forbidden _her from messing with the magic staff, so she hadn't felt she needed permission. Still, the Yule feast, when even her husband would be distracted by the merriment, was the perfect time to get away.

Hermione disillusioned herself before she made it to the last turn that would take her to the vault's doors. Two Einherjar guarded the doors. Sneaking past them was perhaps the hardest part of her plan, but Hermione had an idea of what to do.

Before she could put her plan into action, two arms wrapped around her middle, pulling Hermione to a hard chest. The disillusionment dropped with her lack of concentration. She sighed in annoyance-_ so close _-but turned her head to greet her husband. "Hello. I thought you'd be distracted longer."

Thor lifted a brow. "Wife."

"Husband," she returned.

His eyes rolled. "I should have known as soon as you instigated that drinking competition. You're after the scepter."

"I have no idea what you mean." She peered at him innocently. "Your father locked it away. Would I really risk angering him just to see it?"

"Yes," Thor deadpanned.

Hermione dropped the act, turning in his arms and gazing at him hopefully. "Please, Thor. It would only be for a few minutes. Aren't you curious? This isn't a weapon from the Nine Realms. I'm dying to know how the magic in the crystal works."

Thor looked away from her. "Hermione, anything to do with Loki is generally harmful to the populace."

Hermione brought her hands up to cup his cheeks, turning his face back to hers. "But it would be in my hands, and I'm not harmful to the populace. We'll only be a few minutes."

Thor tried to turn away, but Hermione kept her eyes on his, pleading, practically vibrating with anticipation. After a few seconds, Thor groaned softly, closing his eyes and laying his forehead on hers. "Woman, you will be the death of me. Alright, for a few minutes only."

She didn't squeal, but the delighted hard kiss she pressed to his lips was enough to let Thor know he'd pleased his wife greatly. Wrapping his arm around her, they walked out into the open. The Einherjar came to attention when the couple approached. Thor nodded in greeting. "Good Yule, my friends. I want to show my wife the various...wonders of the vault. Will you let us pass?"

The guards shared a look before stepping out of the way. Hermione kept her face impassive as they walked through the doors, stepping away and slapping Thor's arm as soon as the doors were closed. "Did you just… They think…"

Thor laughed at the flushed, embarrassed expression on her face. "That I've brought you to engage in activities of a sexual nature in my father's vault? Yes." He pulled her close, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple. "Maybe we can explore the possibility when you've satisfied your curiosity."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head, but gave him a soft kiss before pulling away. She directed her attention to the items of the vault. The history of Asgard could be found down here; trophies from various battles and magic too dangerous to be left unsecured. But there was only one prize she was looking for, and it was displayed between two elaborate helmets.

The scepter did not emit power like some of the items in the vault, lying harmlessly on its pedestal. The metal was gold-plated, the brilliant blue crystal glinting in the curved center. It was hard to believe this object had wrecked the lives of so many, but a weapon was a weapon. Mjolnir looked completely harmless, and she'd seen that hammer in action one too many times already.

The metal visibly shocked her when she picked up, the zing running through her system. It wasn't unpleasant, the feeling somewhat like the first time she'd touched her wand. Thor eyed the scepter suspiciously, refraining from touching it. "Wife, we do not know how your magic will react to the power in the scepter. Perhaps we should put it back."

"No way," she said. "I don't feel like there's a danger."

"The danger will come when you least expect it."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Just a few more minutes, Thor. I want to try something else." Her eyes lit up as she thought of something. "Have you thought about trying to merge your power with it?"

"No, I am content with the strength I have."

"Think about it though! If I had your magic, I would change Asgard's climate to winter for Yule." She sighed as she looked at the crystal. "I miss the snow."

"I deal in storms," Thor reminded her. "And not of the snow kind. I would not be able to create the one you want without the element already there." He pulled her into his arms. "If it is the cold you miss, I can take you back to Midgard. Your friends would enjoy seeing you earlier than usual. We can even indulge in… what do you call it? A snowball war?"

Hermione grinned at him. "Snowball fight. With your magic, we'd all be at a disadvantage."

"I would not use my power."

She scoffed, "Trust me, everyone else does."

They were absorbed in each other, neither seeing the blue crystal start to glow. Hermione felt a small tingle, thought it part of her natural reaction to Thor. She was thinking about the grounds of Hogwarts, the fierce snowstorms of Scotland. The snow would flurry around them because the winds always grew harsh there. It wouldn't be the first storm she'd been caught in since she'd met him.

And then suddenly they were there, like the picture had been pulled from her head. Hermione, not prepared for the cold, gasped and wrapped her arms around herself in a pitiful attempt to stay warm. Thor looked around in alarm, pulling his cloak around her. He did not seem affected by the cold, his body warm against hers. A gust of wind swept through, Hermione burying her face further into Thor's chest to escape the snow that came with it.

"T-T-Thor?" Hermione stuttered out. "What...h-happened?" She hadn't felt the sensation of apparition, or portkey travel. There was no telltale sign of Heimdall sending them by Bifrost. One minute they were in Odin's vault, and the next in the hills of Scotland in the dead of winter.

"I do not know." Thor looked around. "I do not recognize this landscape."

"We're near Hogwarts," she told him. "You can't apparate or portkey onto the grounds without permission, so we ended up here."

He looked down at her, surprise on his face. "You were able to transport us this far?"

Hermione shook her head. "It wasn't me."

His expression turned from surprise to troubled. "Let us go to your school then. Perhaps they will have the answers." Thor removed the cloak from around his shoulders, wrapping it around Hermione completely before bending down to pick her up.

She leaned into his warmth, putting her arms around his neck. "I can walk." Though she was grateful for the heat radiating off him, she had not been dressed for this. Her feet were already numb.

"That you can, but then I would not get the pleasure of holding you," he told her with a smirk. "You will lead me in the right direction, and then we will get you warmed."

They headed towards Hogwarts, Hermione marveling at the fact they were actually here. She was still unsure _how _they had gotten to Earth, but it was a welcome surprise. She'd been thinking of her former home, after all. Since marrying Thor, Hermione hadn't been able to make the trip home as much as she wanted.

The gates were open when they approached. Hermione frowned. That wasn't right. Professor McGonagall _never _left the gates open.

Thor thought nothing of it, commenting on the large castle in the distance. Hermione put her worries out of her mind, giving him a little history of the school as he walked. She made sure to include some of the bits that had been excluded from previous versions of her favorite book, making him laugh at her grumbling.

It was when they were passing the clearing that Hagrid's herd of Thestral's made their home that Hermione realized something was wrong. "Thor, stop." They weren't there. When she'd finally been able to see them, there had never been a day that went by where there wasn't at least one Thestral in this area.

He stopped immediately, looking down at her with concern. "What is it?"

"Let me down." She ignored the bite of the snow against her feet and legs when she landed on the ground, trudging her way to the trees. "Something isn't right…" She scanned the area, hoping to see the creatures. It wasn't until she was doing another turn that the Thestral appeared in front of her as if it had been there the entire time. Hermione sighed in relief, smiling as the animal nudged her side. "There you are."

Thor bent to examine it, running a hand down its flank. "Where did you come from?"

"We must have missed him before," Hermione commented. "The herd of Thestral's on the grounds usually congregate here when they aren't pulling the carriages. I was concerned when I didn't see them."

Thor shook his head. "We did not miss this creature, Hermione. He was not here before."

She bit her lip. "Are you sure? There is always at least one. I'm a little surprised the babes aren't coming out. They are spooked by strangers at first, but they're too curious to stay away."

A few younger Thestral's shyly made their way out of the thick line of trees as soon as the words left her mouth. Hermione grimaced. "Okay, that's too much of a coincidence. Everything I've thought of has appeared in one way or another."

Thor looked at her sharply. "Explain."

Hermione told him about thinking about the snow surrounding Hogwarts and how welcome her home would be at this time. That had been right before they'd landed on Earth. She explained that the gates being open as they had was not a common occurrence, and certainly wouldn't have happened without one of the staff there to greet them. She'd only just thought of that. By the end of her tale, Thor was running a hand down his face in exasperation.

He obviously knew something. "What is it? What do you know?"

Thor placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hermione, where is Loki's scepter?"

She blinked, having forgotten about the staff entirely. Where _had _it gone? "That's a good question. It was in my hands before…" The scepter winked into existence, in the same position it had been when she'd picked it up. Her mind caught up to what Thor was thinking. "Oh! You think the scepter is causing this? Like Loki's magic? That's a powerful illusion."

Thor took in the excitement in his wife's eyes at this discovery and shook his head. "Yes, a powerful illusion fueled by your imagination. Take us back now."

"Oh…" Hermione gripped the scepter tighter. "But maybe I can-"

"Hermione," Thor warned.

"Alright, alright." Hermione supposed she had gotten an answer about the power of the scepter. She shivered a bit as another gust of wind blew through the clearing. She'd much rather be by the fire anyway — a real fire.

A few feet away, a hearth materialized, the flames high.

Thor threw her a look.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Sorry." She concentrated on dismantling the illusion, of bringing them back to the vault. She could feel the power now that she was focusing, emanating from the crystal in the center and attuned to her magic.

The scene faded away, bleeding into nothingness until they were back in Odin's vault, standing in front of the pedestal she'd picked up the staff from. Hermione put it back carefully before it could do anything else.

Thor wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I hope your curiosity was satisfied, my wife."

"A little," she acquiesced. "But I still think-"

Hermione gave a startled squeak when she was hefted into the air, turned, and placed over Thor's shoulder. He started walking towards the vault doors. "I see I will have to keep you occupied then, if only to save the people of Asgard from your inquisitiveness."

She gave an embarrassed wave to the Einherjar as they walked out, huffing at their barely concealed grins. "Distract me all you want, Thor. I will not give up so easily."

"A challenge then." Thor patted her backside with his hand. "Do not worry, my lady. Your husband is more than up for it."


End file.
